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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

I've no idea how many local-ish readers I have, but I wanted to alert those of you in Pennsylvania to an upcoming event designed to showcase sustainably raised Pennsylvania beef. The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) is hosting the second annual Grass-Fed Beef Cookoff in Fogelsville on Sunday, August 2nd. I volunteered at the inaugural cookoff last year and will be doing so again this year. Believe me, this is a fun event for sustainable foodie types.

This year at least fourteen Pennsylvania beef producers who raise their animals on pasture will be competing with steaks to be judged on the basis of taste, texture and appearance. Last year's winner, Harvest Home Meats, was from Northampton county, close enough to us that we got our prime rib for Christmas dinner from them, and believe me, that was a decadent piece of beef. Cookoff attendees will enjoy a sample of beef stew and a burger, all made from Pennsylvania 100% grass-fed beef. There will be live music, local beer, and the setting at the Glasbern Inn and Farm is simply gorgeous. If you can make it, keep an eye out for me and please say hello!

7 comments:

This past weekend I had the privilege to work at a local organic farm for the PASA farm tour. It was a blast and met so many like-minded people. Got to help clean and mill hundreds of pounds of organic grains using antique machinery.

We are raising 2 steers for the first time and we are trying only grass & hay. People keep telling us that we need to give them grain the last month before slaughter. I wonder if that is really needed? Does the grass fed only taste good? The grain people make it sound like it will taste like shoe leather!

timekeepr, I can tell you that I sampled several of the steaks submitted last year for competition. The rules state that the animal may have eaten only milk, grass, and forbs in its lifetime. Any amount of grain in the diet disqualified the animal from competition. The steaks were, as a rule, excellent. Truly.

I know next to nothing about raising cattle. But I do know that breed, genetics, and the quality of the pasture all enter into the characteristics of the meat. Don't let the naysayers discourage you. It absolutely CAN be done.

If you're anywhere near this part of PA, I would urge you to get a ticket for this event. Almost all the contestant farmers will be there and available to talk shop. That's really the entire purpose of this event. PASA only breaks even on hosting the cookoff; they don't make any money off of it. Also, there will be free mini-seminars in the afternoon on grass-fed beef. You could probably learn a few things if you could make it.

About me

I live on a 2/3 acre homestead in a residential neighborhood. A major goal is to demonstrate how much food a non-expert can produce in my particular climate and hardiness zone, with the soils native to my immediate area. We have gardens of annual and perennial plants, keep laying hens and honey bees, and regularly bite off more than we can chew. Another major goal is to pay off our mortgage as fast as possible. Here I blog about frugality, self-reliance, gardening, cooking and baking, food preservation, practical skills, half-baked experiments, and preparing to thrive in a lower-energy future.